A Shadow of Dawn
by Wolfpelt
Summary: One is a brat. The other hides a disturbing past. Strangely enough, they befriend. But during a time that trust can cost you your life, can one depend on the other...for survival?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Moonlight shone through the tree tops, casting shadows on the cold, hard ground. The faint sound of the thud of paws on the ground in the distance could be made out. A slight breeze blew through the forest, scattering the leaves that lay upon the ground.

The silence was broken by two adult cats crashing into the clearing. One of them was a mottled gray tom with shining green eyes. The other, a she-cat, had a smooth black pelt and dark amber eyes. In her mouth she was holding a small newborn kit. The kit looked very much like her mother, with the same black pelt that blended in with the nighttime shadows. Yet she had her father's gray fur on her chest and paws, and the same green eyes that sparkled in the darkness. Her fluffy kit fur stuck out everywhere, and she let out a small whimper and closed her eyes tightly.

The she-cat placed the kit on the ground and wrapped her tail around her protectively. She turned to her mate with worried eyes. "Fang," she mewed softly, her voice trembling slightly. "What do we do now? If they find her, they will kill her!"

Fang turned to the she-cat and licked her head comfortingly. "We'll run, Shadow. They can't chase us forever."

Shadow looked away. "I'm not so sure about that. They're strong cats, Fang. I know I can't outrun them." She looked at her kit sadly. "What should we do with her? You know they won't spare her. As soon as they've finished with us, they'll kill her, too. You know you can't deny it."

Fang looked down at his paws. "I wasn't going to. I know they're all brutal. You've got to remember: I was one of them once."

"But you've changed," Shadow reminded him.

"When I met you," Fang meowed. "That was when I changed. You sure let me know what was right and wrong." They both purred a little nervously as they remembered Shadow's lectures about how fighting was not the way to solve problems. During each lecture, Fang had pretended to be asleep, and when one time, he truly did fall asleep, Shadow had batted him in the side of the face. From then on, whenever Shadow had lectured him, she had always been careful to remember to bat him in the face.

Fang stopped purring and sniffed the air. His eyes narrowed, and his face became grim. "They're coming closer," he growled. "I can smell it."

Shadow pulled her kit closer and mewed desperately, "Fang, we have to hide her! I couldn't bear it if anything happened to her!"

Fang's eyes met her own, and something in them flashed. "You run," he announced. "I'll fight them off. It won't stop them, but it'll give you enough time to escape."

Shadow gasped. "But you'll be killed! I can't let you do that, even if it does mean that I'll die also."

Fang pushed his face close to hers. "Listen, Shadow. I would die if anything happened to you or Gem. I'd much rather die knowing that you would live than die knowing that I let you down."

It was then that Shadow recognized just what had flashed in Fang's eyes before. _Determination._ It was what she had seen in him early on, when they had just met, and what she had admired about him ever since.

She nodded. "I love you, Fang. I'll run if I have to, though. If it will make you happy."

"It will. You should escape now; before it gets too late."

"Oh, I'm afraid it's far too late for that," a cold, mocking voice behind them mewed.

Fang spun around. "Badger!" he spat as a small black tom stepped into the clearing. The tom was small, but his muscles were powerful, his bite was deadly, and any cat who fought him had not lived to tell the tale.

"Well did you really expect anyone else, Fang?" the cat asked coldly. His gaze traveled over Shadow, and he mewed in a disapproving voice, "So this is the cat you chose to be your mate. Disgraceful." He spat the last word out distastefully.

Fang stepped between them. "If you even go near her..." he warned.

"You'll what? You'll kill me? Rip me to shreds? Fang, we've known each other since kithood. I know all your moves, your fighting styles, and," A dark shadow cast over his face. "your weaknesses."

"I swear, Badger, if you even go near her I'll rip you to shreds."

"You'll be dead before you get the chance!" Badger spat. "Honestly, Fang, how you became my friend is beyond my knowledge." He stepped around Fang, Fang's eyes watching his every move. "What's this?" he meowed when he saw the kit. "So this is your kit? Just a scrap of fur, I'd say. More of a kittypet than a rogue." His eyes traveled over to Shadow again. "That's from your side, I guess."

Fang stepped forward to confront his old friend. "Just let us go, Badger," he growled, but his eyes were pleading.

Badger shook his head. "I wish it could be like that, Fang. But I, unlike you, still have an ounce of loyalty left in my blood." He circled the three cats. "I've been given direct orders to kill you three, and I intend to do that." Fang bared his teeth, and Badger curled his lip back in a snarl. Shadow stood helplessly, knowing she was about to watch her mate fight with the cat that had once been his best friend.

Badger swiped a claw at Fang, but the tom, though large, was surprisingly nimble, and dodged the blow easily. He jumped on to Badger's back and held him down. Badger yowled with frustration and flung Fang off his back, leaving the larger cat's belly exposed. Fang quickly flipped over, though, and managed to catch his breath just before Badger charged at him, knocking the wind out of him once again.

Shadow stepped back, horrified at the scene happening before her. She knew Fang couldn't win this battle: Badger was too strong. The ball of hissing, screeching cats rolled closer to her. As Badger tumbled out of the mess, he spotted Shadow, and his dark amber eyes narrowed. He pounced on her, and before Fang could stop him, he delivered a killing bite to the young she-cat's neck. She writhed in pain for a couple moments, before lying completely still. Fang let out a sorrowful yowl, and rushed over to the cat he loved. He buried his nose into her fur and murmured, "Shadow, my beloved Shadow, I shall never forget you."

Badger, seizing his chance, pounced on Fang and dug his fangs into his throat. This time, however, Fang did not restrain. His eyes closed in calm acceptance, and eventually he lay still on the ground next to his dead mate.

Badger looked at the two dead cats, satisfied with his work. _Night will be_ _proud,_ he thought._ Perhaps she'll finally name me leader. _His thoughts were distracted by a soft mewing on the ground. _The kit,_ he thought. _I forgot to kill the kit. _He looked at the scrap of fur lying on the ground and something flashed through his eyes. Was it pity? _No._ Badger shook the thought away. He picked the kit up and headed back to camp. _We need warriors,_ he reasoned with himself.


	2. Stormpaw's Discovery

**Hey! Thanks to RoloPolo for being my first reviewer. Thank you to the rest of you who reviewed, also. This is my first fanfic, so I thought I might get bad reviews, but you guys sure proved me wrong! **

**Oh, and I now allow anonymous reviews thanks to Arrow-Tipped Kestrel. (It was their idea). So if you are too lazy to log in, or you don't have an account but you still want to review, you can thank them.**

**I forgot to add the disclaimer last time, so here it is:**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, I do not own Warriors, which belong to Cherith Baldry and Kate Cary.**

A small reddish-brown she-cat squinted into the distance. _Yes, there it was._ _She hadn't been mistaken_. On the other side of the Thunderpath, a small dark creature was stumbling around. _It's obviously not from ShadowClan,_ the she-cat thought. _So what is it?_ She cautiously walked over to the Thunderpath and peered closer through the shrub filled marsh on the other side. The creature was coming closer, obviously finding it difficult to walk in a straight line, as it was crashing into trees every now and then.

As it stepped on to the Thunderpath, the she-cat could nearly make it out just before a Thunderpath monster came zooming past. The she-cat gasped. Had the creature been killed? She leaned in close to the Thunderpath, and saw that the creature had crouched low to the ground when the Thunderpath monster had zoomed by, and now it was slowly making its way back again. The she-cat heard another Thunderpath monster coming, and she grabbed the creature by the scruff and pulled it to the ThunderClan side of the Thunderpath right before another monster whizzed by. She and the creature tumbled backward from the force until they both lay sprawled out on the grassy ground.

The she-cat quickly stood up and faced the creature. Her blue eyes opened wide: this creature was a cat! She placed a paw on the cat's neck and hissed, "Who are you? You're not from the one of the Clans!"

The cat looked up at her with dull, almost lifeless green eyes. "Clans?" she rasped, obviously confused.

"Yes!" the she-cat mewed, rolling her eyes. "You know, ThunderClan, RiverClan..."

Still the cat did not understand. The she-cat sighed. "Let's start with this. What is your name?"

The cat looked up at her and shook her head. "I-I don't have one," she stammered. The she-cat was shocked.

"Of course you have one! For example, my name is Stormpaw. Let's try this again. _What is your name?_"

Again the cat shook her head. "I don't have one."

"Fine," Stormpaw sighed. "Well, where are you from?"

The she-cat shook her head once again and mewed, "I don't know."

Stormpaw rolled her eyes. This cat was impossible. She stepped back from the she-cat and took a good look at her. She was mostly black, with gray paws and a gray chest. She was small, probably around the same age as herself. Stormpaw took a look at the cat's stomach-if there was one. The cat appeared half starved, and she obviously had been beaten up pretty badly.

"Come on," Stormpaw meowed to the she-cat. "I'm taking you back to camp. You need a medicine cat." She lifted the she-cat up by putting her on her back, and she carried her back to camp. The she-cat was amazingly light. Even though she was small, Stormpaw had not expected her to be this light.

As she entered camp, which did not take too long, the ThunderClan cats stared at her and the cat she carried on her back. Bluefoot, the Clan medicine cat, stepped out of her den as a cat ran to tell her what was happening. When she saw the she-cat on Stormpaw's back, she rushed over.

"Stormpaw, bring her to my den!" she mewed frantically. "This cat is badly injured!"

_As if I didn't know that,_ Stormpaw thought. But she brought the she-cat to Bluefoot's den anyway. When she got there, Bluefoot was already picking out herbs to use on her new patient. When she saw Stormpaw enter she mewed, "Lay her down here and then go fetch her a mouse. She needs to eat."

Stormpaw obeyed Bluefoot's orders and picked up a mouse from the fresh kill pile. As she walked back to the medicine cat's den, she heard another apprentice, a black tom named Nightpaw, talking to some other cats about the she-cat. Stormpaw narrowed her eyes. She _hated_ Nightpaw. For some reason, all the other cats liked him, yet he had always acted horribly towards her. As she passed by him, he turned to her and meowed, "That cat's a rogue. If she wakes up and decides to attack some cat, I hope it's you."

Stormpaw rolled her eyes and dropped the mouse to respond, "If she does attack, she won't attack just one cat. She'll attack the entire Clan." She narrowed her eyes again. "So you really shouldn't be hoping that she'll attack anyone."

She picked up the mouse and walked away. She lay the mouse in front of the she-cat and sat down next to Bluefoot. "Why isn't she eating?" she asked Bluefoot after watching the she-cat ignore the mouse. "She looks half starved!"

"She's sleeping," Bluefoot replied. "She was exhausted, so I gave her poppy seeds to help her sleep. She'll eat later."

"Well then why did you make me get the mouse now? It might rot if she doesn't eat it soon." _StarClan,_ she thought. _Cats around here are so mousebrained.._

Bluefoot rolled her eyes and muttered something about bratty she-cats. Then she turned to Stormpaw and mewed in a harsh voice, "Why don't you go now? You might wake my patient up."

Stormpaw rolled her eyes. "Fine."

**Wow. This chapter sucked compared to the prologue. Oh well… I'll try to make the next one better. Anyway, please R&R!**


	3. Dawnpaw

**Hey guys! I'm sorry about the horrible last chapter. (Though none of you said it was bad. Thank you!) So in return for none of you giving me bad reviews, I'm updating quickly. (I know it wasn't that quick, but I had to finish the chapter first)**

**Anyway, thanks to PhantomFan07, Demon .-. Kitterz, and Krissy25 for adding me to their favorites lists.**

**So, on with the chapter! (Please let this be better than the last chapter!)**

**Disclaimer: Fortunately for everyone except for me, I do not own Warriors, which belong to Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry. (If I did own them…eek! It'd be scary.)**

The she-cat opened her eyes and blinked several times. Where was she? She tried to remember exactly what had happened before she fell asleep. It was a hard memory to recall, as she had only been half awake, but she remembered a small reddish-brown she-cat. _Ah,_ she thought. _The she-cat. I wonder where she is._

A blue-gray she-cat stepped into the den. "So you're awake," she mewed. "There's a mouse waiting for you to eat." She flicked her tail in the direction of the small gray creature lying in front of the she-cat. "I'm Bluefoot, by the way."

"Excuse me," the she-cat croaked. "Where...where am I?"

"You're in ThunderClan," the blue-gray cat replied. "There are three other Clans in the forest: RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan."

"Yes. I've heard about RiverClan."

Bluefoot looked surprised. "You have, have you?"

The she-cat nodded. "Yes. And I've heard about ThunderClan also. The cat who rescued me told me about them. What's her name, by the way?"

Bluefoot rolled her eyes. "Stormpaw," she mewed coldly. "I'd stay out of her way if I were you. She's a brat, you know."

The she-cat was shocked. "She didn't seem like such a brat when she rescued me from that Loudtrail. I mean, what kind of brat risks their life for another cat that they don't even know?"

Bluefoot raised one eyebrow. "Okay, there are two things I don't understand about that story. One: Stormpaw actually risked her life for someone? And two: What in the name of StarClan is a Loudtrail?"

"Er, a Loudtrail is..." she searched for the right words. "You know, that big, hard trail that Baldstick carriers ride on?"

Bluefoot shook her head. "I still don't understand."

The she-cat sighed. "You know, that big black trail at the edge of your territory?"

"Oh, you mean the Thunderpath." Bluefoot nodded in understanding before narrowing her eyes. "How did you know it was at the edge of our territory?"

"The scents were different," the she-cat answered.

"Oh." For some reason, Bluefoot sounded pleased. Then she meowed, "You haven't eaten yet. You probably should: You're as thin as a mouse tail."

The she-cat shook her head. "I'm not hungry. I ate a lot the other day."

Bluefoot's eyes widened. "How could you catch any food? You were beaten up pretty badly."

"I stole some food from a kittypet dish." The she-cat looked slightly embarrassed. "You know, a Baldstick's cat."

Bluefoot nodded. "You know," she meowed. "Here we call 'baldsticks', 'twolegs'. You might want to start calling them that so you don't confuse the rest of the cats."

The she-cat nodded. "Okay. Twolegs."

Just then, a young golden brown tom with blue-gray eyes stepped into the den. "Bluefoot," he mewed. "I got a thorn stuck in my pad. Brownclaw told me to come to you."

Bluefoot nodded. "I'll be right back, Wildpaw. Keep an eye on my patient."

As she left, Wildpaw turned to the she-cat and asked, "You're a rogue, aren't you?"

The she-cat shrugged. "Depends on what you call a rogue. If you mean a mindless killing monster, like many rogues are, then no. If you mean a cat who doesn't belong to a Clan, then yes."

"So you're a loner, then."

The she-cat shook her head. "No. I'm a rogue. Loners are cats who live by themselves. I lived with other cats." She stopped awkwardly, as if she felt she had said too much.

Wildpaw seemed to notice this, and he changed the subject immediately. "So," he meowed. "How has Bluefoot been treating you?"

"Fine," the she-cat replied, glad the subject had been changed. "She's very nice-and a she's a good healer."

"You mean medicine cat," Wildpaw corrected. "She's a medicine cat, not a 'healer'."

"Oh." The she-cat nodded. "Okay. Wow, a lot of the words you cats use are strange."

"Oh really? How so?"

"Well, for example," the she-cat meowed. "You don't know what a Loudtrail is, you call Baldsticks 'twolegs', and you have 'medicine cats', not healers."

Wildpaw stared at her. "They're just different. They're not strange. By the way, what's a Loudtrail?"

The she-cat purred, "My point exactly. Anyway, a Loudtrail is a...what do you call it? Oh, right, the Thunderpath."

Wildpaw nodded. "I understand why you call it a 'Loudtrail'. There's not often prey around it because the noise scares it all off."

The she-cat purred again. "There were a bunch of Thunderpaths where I lived. I could never catch any prey around there. Of course," her voice quieted. "I was always ordered to hunt there." She looked back up at Wildpaw, who looked very confused.

"So," she changed the subject. "You live in ThunderClan."

Wildpaw nodded. "The very best Clan in the forest. Besides StarClan, of course."

"What's StarClan?" the she-cat asked. "Bluefoot mentioned it too. Is there another Clan in the forest?"

"StarClan is-" another voice cut him off before he could continue.

The interrupting voice was Bluefoot's: "StarClan are our warrior ancestors who watch over us from Silverpelt." She turned to Wildpaw. "Now that that's settled, let me get that thorn out of your pad."

She leaned down and clamped her jaws around a large thorn. As she tugged, Wildpaw winced in pain. The she-cat watched with sympathetic eyes. She knew how painful it was to have a thorn caught in her paw.

Bluefoot finally finished, and Wildpaw sighed in relief. "You can go now," Bluefoot announced. "You're alright now."

Wildpaw nodded and did something unexpected: he walked over to the she-cat, bent down, touched his nose to hers, and meowed, "Goodbye. I'll see you later." He turned and walked out of the den.

As the she-cat stared after him, shocked, Bluefoot purred, "It seems you've made a friend."

The she-cat nodded. "Apparently so."

Bluefoot walked over to her and nudged the mouse closer to her. "Eat," she commanded. "You'll starve if you don't."

The she-cat reluctantly ate the mouse. As she did, Wildpaw came in, holding a rabbit in his mouth. He dropped it and stammered nervously, "I didn't think you had anything to eat, so I thought I'd bring you this from the fresh-kill pile, and-oh." His eyes fell on the mouse the she-cat was eating. "I guess I could just come back later."

"No. Stay," the she-cat mewed. "I would like some more company here with me."

Wildpaw purred and sat down next to her. The she-cat looked up at him, and their eyes met. _What a nice cat,_ she thought.

Her thoughts were distracted by a large brown tom stepping into the den. "Hello Oakstar," Wildpaw meowed respectfully, bowing his head.

"Hello Wildpaw," Oakstar meowed. He looked at the she-cat. "And hello to you, too. You're certainly looking better than you did before. That is," he looked at Bluefoot. "thanks to Bluefoot. She is a gifted medicine cat, you know."

His gaze traveled back to the she-cat. "I assume you have already heard of ThunderClan," he mewed.

The she-cat nodded. "Yes. I've heard of all the Clans. They sound very interesting. Especially this one," she added. "Since it has such nice cats."

Oakstar nodded slowly, as if a decision had been made. "How would you like to be made an apprentice of ThunderClan?" he asked. "We need warriors, and since you obviously like the cats here, you could stay with them."

The she-cat was shocked at the sudden proposal. _What should she say?_

"Say yes," Wildpaw hissed, seeming to have read her mind.

"Okay," the she-cat barely choked out; she was still shocked.

"Good," Oakstar meowed. "Then we shall start the ceremony right away." He bounded up to a large rock and yowled, "May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the highrock for a Clan meeting!"

"Go forward," Wildpaw hissed quietly to the she-cat. "You're about to be made an apprentice."

The she-cat nodded slowly and hesitantly stepped on to the highrock. Gasps sounded from the watching cats.

"What's _she_ doing up there?" a tom's voice asked coldly. "She's a rogue!" The she-cat saw the cat it was coming from: a black tom with amber eyes.

"In a couple of moments she'll be made an apprentice," Oakstar replied. More gasps followed. "No cat can deny that we need warriors," he continued. "This cat has agreed to be made an apprentice, and if she is loyal and brave, she will be made a warrior in time."

The cats seemed to have calmed down, so Oakstar turned to the she-cat and began the ceremony. "Until she has earned her warrior name, this cat will be called..." A beam of sunlight crept up the she-cat's fur, until she was fully bathed in light. "Dawnpaw."

Oakstar turned to the rest of the cats. "I will mentor her myself."

As he stepped down from the highrock, the cats started to chant, "Dawnpaw. Dawnpaw." The chanting was hesitant at first, but after a while, more cats joined in. "Dawnpaw. Dawnpaw."

As the ceremony ended, several cats came up to congratulate her. But others, such as the black tom that had spoken up during the ceremony, shot cold glares at her and walked back to their dens.

Wildpaw rushed up and touched his nose to hers in warm greeting. "Congratulations, Dawnpaw," he meowed. "You're a true apprentice of ThunderClan now." He flicked his tail toward a small den. "That's where we sleep. Come on!"

As he walked away, Dawnpaw sighed with relief. _At least one cat's_ _accepted me,_ she thought. _But how long will it take before the others do too?_

She shook her head tiredly. She'd worry about that in the morning. In the meantime she needed to get some sleep. Slowly she followed Wildpaw to the den she would sleep in.

She looked around at the tired cats. _I'd better get used to this place._ _After all, this is my home now._

**So what do you think? Was it worse than the last chapter? Better? Please review!**

**Oh, and by the way, I'll try to sneak one more chapter in before a long time of not updating. You see, I have to get my Tetanus shot before 7th grade, and from what I've heard, it'll hurt so much I won't be able to type for a couple days. (Wish me luck!) So I'll try to get one more chapter in before that time.**


	4. A New Friend?

**Hey guys! I'm getting my Tetanus shot…tomorrow! You have no idea how long I worked on this to get it done before my shot. So…you have one more chapter to read before my arm's in so much pain that I can't type for a long time, and I won't be able to update for a long time. (Okay, maybe I'm being a little over dramatic) Anyway, I promised you guys a chapter before that long time of not updating, and I always keep my promises. (Almost always)**

**Thanks to Safaricat Dawnheart for adding me to their favorites lists.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, which belong to Cherith Baldry and Kate Cary.**

"Dawnpaw." A paw was prodding Dawnpaw in the side. "Dawnpaw, wake up!"

Dawnpaw opened her eyes and blinked several times. "Hm?"

"Dawnpaw! Training starts _now_."

Dawnpaw rolled over to see Wildpaw standing over her. "Dawnpaw!" he hissed. "_Come on!_"

"Leave her, Wildpaw," growled the black tom Dawnpaw had seen the other day. "Who cares about a rogue?"

Dawnpaw stood up and faced the black tom. "I'm not a rogue anymore!" she hissed. "I'm an apprentice!"

"You'll always be a rogue!" the tom spat back. "No matter how hard you try, you'll never be a Clan cat!" He stalked past her and out of the den angrily.

Wildpaw touched his tail-tip to her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry about Nightpaw. He sometimes gets like this. You'll get used to him soon."

Dawnpaw sighed, "I hope so."

"Come on," Wildpaw meowed. "It's time for training."

Dawnpaw yawned and nodded. "I'll be out in a moment." She stretched and followed Wildpaw out. As she stepped out, she squinted; the sun was so bright. "I can hardly see," she whispered to Wildpaw.

He shrugged. "I guess it's _somewhat_ bright."

_Somewhat?_ Dawnpaw wanted to say. But she stayed quiet and waited for Oakstar to come out of his den.

"Hello." Dawnpaw jumped in surprise. She whirled around.

"Hello Oakstar. You-you scared me."

Oakstar purred. "When you're done training, I won't be able to anymore."

"Why not?"

"You'll be much better at scenting other cats by the time our training's done. You'll be able to tell that I'm right behind you."

Dawnpaw nodded. "Okay."

"Now let's start training." Oakstar turned and walked into the woods. Dawnpaw followed

"What are we going to do today?" she asked.

Oakstar looked at the small apprentice. "You _do_ know how to hunt, right?" he asked.

Dawnpaw nodded.

"Good," Oakstar mewed. "Then this will take less time than I thought." They stopped walking when they stepped into a clearing. "Show me how you hunt."

"Okay…" Dawnpaw meowed. She sniffed the air. _Vole._ A scent she'd recognize anywhere. She crouched down and crept forward, stepping ever so lightly. _I'm getting closer._

Finally she saw it. The vole was sitting in a small patch of grass, chewing a small brown nut. Dawnpaw narrowed her eyes, crept forward a little more, and pounced. Her paws trapped the vole, and she leaned down to deliver a killing bite to its neck.

"I caught it!" she yowled, throwing it up in the air and catching it in her jaws. Oakstar stepped forward.

"Very good," he mewed. "I see you've been taught how to hunt well. And I also see you're not shy to showing it off."

"Sorry," Dawnpaw mumbled, staring at her paws in embarrassment. Oakstar, however, purred with amusement. Dawnpaw, realizing this, looked back up at him, her eyes dancing with excitement. "So when do we get to eat it?"

"Eat it?' Oakstar's eyes narrowed. "We don't eat it. We bring it back to the Clan. Remember, _the Clan must be fed first_."

Dawnpaw sighed, "So I guess this is what Clan loyalty means: starving until sundown."

Oakstar batted her ear with his paw playfully. "You make it sound so bad." Sensing his apprentice's disappointment, he mewed, "How about you go put that on the fresh-kill pile? Then we can go explore the territory."

Dawnpaw's eyes brightened. "Okay!" she exclaimed excitedly. She turned and sped toward camp.

Oakstar chuckled to himself, "I'll enjoy training this one."

----

Dawnpaw reached camp and dropped the vole on the fresh-kill pile. As she lifted her head back up she saw the reddish brown she-cat heading over to the elders' den. _What was her name again? Oh, right, Stormpaw._

Dawnpaw ran over to her before she entered the elders' den. When she finally reached her, she sat down and panted. "Thank you," she gasped.

Stormpaw's eyes widened. "For what?" she asked.

"For rescuing me. I'd probably still be wandering out there in the woods if it hadn't for you."

Stormpaw shrugged. "I couldn't just leave you. By the way, what's your name again?"

"Dawnpaw."

"Dawnpaw," Stormpaw repeated. "That should have been my name." Dawnpaw noticed a few elders rolled their eyes, but she purred. She had found the she-cat's comment funny. Besides, 'Dawnpaw' _should_ have been Stormpaw's name. After all, her pelt _was_ the same color as dawn.

"Stormpaw!" a she-cat's voice called. "We have to start training!"

"That's Whitepelt," Stormpaw sighed while rolling her eyes. "My mentor. I'd better go now."

She turned to leave and Dawnpaw called, "Wait!" Stormpaw turned around.

"Yes?"

"Well, er," Dawnpaw stammered. "Do you want to hunt with me later?"

Stormpaw closed her eyes and purred. When she opened them back up, they shone brighter than Dawnpaw had ever seen them. "Sure," she mewed. "I'll go hunting with you."

"Stormpaw!" the she-cat's shrill voice called again.

Stormpaw purred, "Gotta go. I'll see you later."

Dawnpaw nodded. "Okay." Stormpaw raced away toward her mentor, and Dawnpaw lowered her voice so even she could barely hear it. "See you later…friend."

**I know, I know, kinda crappy ending. Sorry 'bout that. Anyway, R&R! (Please more reviews than the last chapter got! I only got three!)**


	5. Memories and Mistakes

**Hi guys! Sorry about the really slow update. See, it shouldn't have taken as long as it did. You see, 50 of people wake up the morning after their Tetanus shot feeling fine. I am one of those people. (Phew.) So what really took me this long to update was this: Camp. (Stupid camp…)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope the next update will come soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors which belong to Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry. (The whole world must be sighing in relief)**

Dawnpaw sat near the camp entrance, twitching her tail excitedly. _When will Stormpaw be back?_ _I want to go hunting!_

"Looking for someone?" came the familiar, surprisingly playful growl behind her. Dawnpaw whipped around and purred.

"That's the second time today one of you cats has scared me by doing that!" she mewed.

"Who was the first cat?" Stormpaw asked. "Oakstar? If so, don't worry. He does that to all the apprentices."

"Why?"

Stormpaw shrugged. "Just for the sake of scaring us, I guess." She looked at Dawnpaw, her eyes dancing with excitement. "Well, enough talking! Let's go!" And with that, she raced away into the woods.

Dawnpaw chased after her, barely managing to catch up. When they finally stopped, she mewed, "You're fast."

"Thanks." Stormpaw sat a little taller. "You are too." She stopped talking and sniffed the air. "I smell mouse," she announced. "I'll be right back." She leaped away toward a small bush.

A few moments later, she came back holding a mouse in her mouth. She placed it in front of Dawnpaw and mewed, "Got it."

"I bet I can catch something bigger," Dawnpaw boasted, eager to start a challenge.

Stormpaw nodded. "I'm sure you can. How about you show me?"

"Sure!" This was exactly what she had wanted. "But how about we make it interesting? How about we both go hunting, and the one to catch the smaller prey…has to volunteer to pick the ticks off the elders!"

"You're on. Just let me cover this mouse." Stormpaw covered the mouse with a clump of dirt. "Okay, now I'm ready. Now let's start hunting!"

The she-cats began to dash off, and Stormpaw called, "You're about to get a great chance to get to know the elders!"

Dawnpaw snorted disbelievingly and raced off in the opposite direction. She stopped as she stepped in a clearing and sniffed the air. _That's funny. I don't smell anything._

Just as she was about to leave, she heard a rustle in the bushes. She flattened her ears and crept forward slowly. Then she narrowed her eyes and pounced, landing on whatever was there. She looked down at her paws to see a small black cat and two amber eyes glaring up at her.

She let out a terrified squeak and leapt off the cat. She turned to face it, hissing. As she saw who it was, she calmed down and her fur flattened.

"Oh. N-Nightpaw. Y-You scared me," she stammered.

"_I_ scared _you?_" he growled. "You were the one trying to put me on the fresh-kill pile." His ears flattened. "Why were you so scared, anyway?"

"I-I thought you were…someone else." She looked at her paws, embarrassed.

"Yeah, well I'm not," he growled. "And I'm not prey either, so don't try hunting me."

"Sorry," Dawnpaw mumbled miserably.

Just then, Stormpaw came crashing through the bushes. "I heard yowling," she mewed frantically. "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine," Dawnpaw meowed. "We're okay."

"_We're?" _Nightpaw growled. "Maybe you are, but I'm still trying to get over the shock that I nearly became fresh-kill."

Stormpaw looked at Dawnpaw strangely. "Maybe I don't want to know."

Dawnpaw shook her head. "You don't." She looked at Nightpaw and purred, "But you should know that I caught something bigger than you ever will attempt to catch."

"Yeah," Nightpaw hissed. "Me!" He stalked away angrily.

"You caught _him?_" Stormpaw gasped in disbelief after he was gone. "I wish I could have seen that."

Dawnpaw shook her head once again. "Trust me. You don't."

----

As the two walked back to camp together, Stormpaw holding the only prey they had caught-the mouse she had caught earlier, Dawnpaw meowed unexpectedly, "You're so lucky."

Stormpaw looked at her friend quizzically. "How?"

"It's so nice here. And to have been raised here-it must be great."

Stormpaw suddenly felt her heart fill with grief, and she felt the sudden urge to yowl at Dawnpaw. _She doesn't know,_ she convinced herself. She closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to leave the grief behind and mewed, "Not necessarily. A lot of kits born in leaf-bare die, and the queens don't always survive."

She stopped talking not because she was finished, but rather because she had tripped over something on the ground, and she was now lying on her side.

"Are you okay?" Dawnpaw asked.

"Yeah. I just tripped over this stupid root here." Stormpaw noticed that her friend shivered at the word. "Are _you_ okay?" she asked.

"Of course. I'm fine. Let's keep moving," her friend mewed, a little too quickly for Stormpaw to be convinced that she was telling the truth.

"Whatever you say." She shrugged, unconvinced.

----

Later that night, when the rest of the apprentices were sleeping in their den, Stormpaw lay wide awake, too full of grief to sleep. _Oh,_ _Dawnpaw,_ she thought. _I was so close to forgetting it all. Why did you have to remind me?_

She shivered as the painful memory came back to her.

_"Let me through! I have to see her!" a small reddish-brown she-kit squeaked. "I have to see her!" She squeezed through two large cats standing in front of the entrance to a small den, where a young blue she-cat was lying._

_"Rainstorm," she gasped. The she-cat looked at the small kit and her blue eyes softened._

_"My daughter," she murmured. "Come here." Tentatively, the kit stepped forward. "Listen," the she-cat mewed softly. "I want you to remember that I love you. Never forget that, okay? No matter what happens, I don't want you to forget that. Do you understand?"_

_The kit nodded and moved closer to her mother. "But I don't have to-not yet, at least, because you're not leaving now. Not now." She seemed uncertain of what she was saying._

_"I am leaving," the she-cat rasped. "But I will always be with you. I will always love you and protect you." She shivered and then lay completely still._

The she-kit flung her head back and yowled in sorrow. Then she suddenly stopped, as a breeze blew through the den. It seemed to say, "I love you, Stormkit."

**Okay, just in case you're confused, the stuff in italics at the end was a memory. (There will probably be a lot of these in this story.) Also, the first line of dashes meant that it was switching from Dawnpaw's POV to Stormpaw's. (There will be a lot of that, too.)**

**Anyway, I would really really really really really really (five minutes later) really really really really appreciate reviews. (I only got two for the last chapter.)**


	6. New Friends And New Memories

**Hi, everybody! Yes, I know I haven't updated in like, a century (Okay, maybe not quite that long…) but it's not my fault! It's my stupid camp's fault! Yeah, probably not, but I need to blame it on _something_.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. (Oh, and I suffered from writer's block for a long time, so this chapter may be really crappy. So please keep an open mind!)**

Dawnpaw walked around the camp searching for Stormpaw. She wanted to go hunting, but being a new apprentice, she had to go with a warrior or another apprentice. _Why does Oakstar always have to be so_ _busy?_ she thought to herself. _I never get to go out and hunt with him. _She looked around the camp for someone she knew. When she saw none, she sighed sadly and walked back to the apprentices' den, head down.

"Ow!" She crashed into another cat. She stood up immediately. "I am _so_ sorry," she mewed. "It was an accident."

"It's okay," the cat -a small silver she-cat- purred. "I know it was." Her blue eyes sparkled with kindness as she mewed, "But you should probably try looking _ahead_ next time you walk. It's much easier if you want to see where you're going."

"Right." Dawnpaw nodded. "I was just heading back to the apprentices' den."

"Why?" the cat asked as she cocked her head to the side. "Aren't you going hunting or something?"

"No," Dawnpaw sighed. "Oakstar's busy, so I tried to find Wildpaw or Stormpaw, but they're not here."

"Stormpaw's on hunting patrol right now, and Wildpaw's on border patrol right now," the she-cat stated matter-of-factly. "You can probably find Stormpaw somewhere around Fourtrees, and Wildpaw by Sunningrocks."

Dawnpaw was confused. "_How do you know that?_"

The cat shrugged. "My father's Oakstar. He tells me where all the patrols are and who's on them."

"But…you're not the deputy."

"No," the cat agreed. "But he tells me anyway…just in case something happens." She paused. "I haven't told you my name yet, have I?" Without waiting for Dawnpaw's response, she mewed, "I'm Silverflower. You're Dawnpaw…right?"

Dawnpaw nodded. "That's my name." She stopped for a moment. "Do you…do you want to go hunting with me?"

Silverflower shrugged. "I don't have to do anything right now, so sure!"

"Great!" Dawnpaw exclaimed. "Let's go!"

Just as she and Silverflower were about to race into the forest, someone behind them yowled, "Silverflower! Oakstar wants to see you in his den!"

Silverflower looked at Dawnpaw with sympathetic eyes. "I'm really sorry," she meowed. "But I have to go."

Dawnpaw nodded. "I understand. Maybe another time."

"Maybe." As Silverflower headed to Oakstar's den, she turned and mewed, "You know, border patrol will be back soon. Maybe then you can go hunting with Wildpaw." Then she turned around and started walking away.

Dawnpaw raced to the edge of camp, eagerly waiting for Wildpaw to come back. As she saw him enter, she ran up to him. "Hey Wildpaw! Want to go hunting with me?"

"Sure," he replied enthusiastically. "Follow me. I know all the best places for hunting." Then he shot off into the forest, Dawnpaw chasing after him.

They stopped as they reached Sunningrocks. "There's always lots of prey here," Wildpaw mewed.

As he sniffed the air for prey, Dawnpaw announced, "RiverClan's been hunting here."

He turned and looked at her. "How do you know that?"

"Their scent's still here," she meowed, gazing across the river. Wildpaw sniffed the ground.

"You're right," he growled as he lifted his head up. "They were." He looked over at RiverClan's territory. "Let me go catch something. Then we'll tell Oakstar." And with that, he leapt away.

Dawnpaw sat there with her tail curled around her paws until he got back, carrying a mouse in his mouth. "Let's go," Dawnpaw meowed. Wildpaw nodded and they leapt away toward camp.

---

As they reached camp, Wildpaw dropped the mouse and mewed, "I'll tell Oakstar. You can give this to the elders."

Dawnpaw nodded. "Okay." She picked up the mouse and dashed off toward the elders' den. She stepped in and looked around. There, sitting in the den, were three old cats. Two were toms, the other a she-cat.

"Is that for us?" the she-cat asked kindly. Dawnpaw nodded, and she brought it over to the she-cat's paws, where she dropped it. "Thank you," was all the she-cat mewed before biting the mouse.

Dawnpaw would have left the den, if not for something in the back of her mind pulling her back. She stared at the she-cat. Something about this cat was familiar… _That's it!_ she thought excitedly.

The elder looked up at her. "Why are you staring at me?" she asked.

"Oh, um, no reason. You just remind me of someone."

"Well, alright," the old cat purred. "But you can go now, you know. You don't have to stay here and watch us eat."

"Alright." Dawnpaw dipped her head in respect for the elder, and she raced off to find Wildpaw. She saw him coming out of Oakstar's den, and she raced up to him. "Hi, Wildpaw!"

He looked at her. "Hi."

"So what did Oakstar say?" Dawnpaw asked. "Isn't he going to do something about it?"

Wildpaw shrugged. "He didn't say much. All he mentioned to me was that he was going to mention it at the next Gathering. Although I'm not quite sure that'll…"

Dawnpaw wasn't listening. Her mind was focused on the elder she had seen earlier. She _had_ reminded her of someone, and now a memory Dawnpaw wished she had forgotten was coming back to her:

_A small black-and-gray she-kit stepped into a large den, holding a rabbit in her mouth. An old black tom lay there, his large amber eyes watching her intently. She stepped up to him, and dropped the rabbit at his paws. "Here you go, Gorse," she mewed quietly_

"Thank you, Root," he meowed. He started to eat the rabbit hungrily. Then he looked up at her. "You know," he mewed. "You look so much like your mother."

"What are you talking about?" the she-kit asked, confused.

"Yes, Gorse. What are you talking about?" came another voice, one belonging to a small black tom.

Gorse looked away. "Nothing."

"That's what I thought." The small tom looked at the she-kit. "Come, Root."

As they stepped out of the den, the she-kit asked. "What was he talking about?"

"Nothing," he replied. "Absolutely nothing."

"He's hiding something," the she-kit thought. She planned to ask Gorse the next day, but the next morning, the old black cat was dead.

**So what did you think? (No bad reviews, PLEASE!) And please review! I know you guys can do better than only three! (Which was the amount I got for the last chapter.) But thank you to the people who did review!**


	7. Dreams Of Evil

It's the super birthday edition chapter! (Erm, yeah, it's my birthday…) Woot. Uh…yeah.

**Anyway, here it is. Another chapter. And yes, I know it's not a very good chapter, but I've been really busy lately, so I apologize. A million thanks to SparrowFan07 who was the _only_ person who reviewed the last chapter. So read and, er, hopefully you'll enjoy. (Though I won't blame you if you don't.)**

_The trees swayed with the cold, strong wind as their leaves fell down, covering the forest ground. The sound of leaves crunching came from three cats stepping out from behind a tree. One of them, a large brown tom, announced, "She's been here, but the scent is old. She's probably far away by now."_

_Another cat, a large silvery gray tom, growled, "Why don't we just let her go? She's not important or anything." A warning glance from the brown tom told him he was wrong._

_"She's not." The answer came from the tom who had not yet spoken. "But she ran away, and for that, she must be punished." Something flashed in his amber eyes as he turned to look at the other toms, and an evil purr came from inside his throat. "And when we find her, I will kill her and leave her body for the crows." And with that, he turned and snuck off into the woods, where his black pelt blended in with the dark shadows._

---

Dawnpaw woke up, startled by her strange dream. As she opened one eye, she saw Wildpaw and Stormpaw standing over her. "Dawnpaw, are you okay?" Stormpaw asked worriedly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," she replied a bit shakily. "Just a dream."

"You were meowing in your sleep," Wildpaw mewed. "But it didn't sound good. It sounded like you were scared."

"Meowing?" Nightpaw snorted from across the den. "More like yowling if you ask me."

Dawnpaw ignored him. "What exactly was I meowing?"

Wildpaw and Stormpaw exchanged glances before Wildpaw answered, in a hushed voice, "They're coming…they're coming."

Stormpaw sat down next to her friend and wrapped her tail around her comfortingly. "If you want to talk about it, well, we're here."

Dawnpaw looked away. "It's fine," she lied. "It was just a dream."

Stormpaw shrugged. "Whatever you say. But in case you ever do…"

Dawnpaw looked back at her, her eyes cold. "I already said I was fine," she spat. "So stop pushing."

Her friend looked hurt. "Fine. I was just trying to help."

"Well don't." She curled up and stuck her nose under her tail. _It was just a dream. Just a dream…_

---

As she woke in the morning, Dawnpaw noticed she was the only apprentice in the den. _They must all be out training,_ she thought. But as she stepped out of the den, she saw Stormpaw talking with Silverflower by the fresh-kill pile. As Silverflower walked away, she ran up to Stormpaw. "Hey Stormpaw! Want to go hunting with me?"

When Stormpaw didn't respond, Dawnpaw tried again: "Stormpaw, did you hear me? Do you want to go hunting with me?"

Stormpaw looked at her angrily. "After how you treated me last night, why would I want to?"

Dawnpaw met her friend's eyes. "Last night? Oh, right… Stormpaw, listen, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Yeah, well maybe you should have." She turned and walked away. Before entering the woods, she spotted Wildpaw and ran over to him. She leaned against him and purred, "Hey Wildpaw, want to go hunting with me?"

He looked at her awkwardly. "Sure, Stormpaw." They turned and walked into the woods together. A something in Dawnpaw's chest growled angrily, she wondered, _What is wrong with me?_

She turned around and looked for Oakstar. They had recently had a training session in which Dawnpaw had practiced fighting. It had been fun, and she wanted to do it again.

But Oakstar was probably busy. And Silverflower probably was, too. Dawnpaw looked around for someone and her eyes found Nightpaw. _This is a last resort. Only a last resort._

She walked over to him and called, "Hey Nightpaw!"

He looked at her. "What does the _rogue_ apprentice want with me?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"Want to go hunting with me?"

Nightpaw looked at her, eyes wide. Obviously he hadn't been expecting that question. "Um…sure, I guess."

"Great! Let's go!"

As they raced out of camp together, Nightpaw warned, "But no trying to hunt me this time!"

They stopped when they reached a clearing in the forest. "So," Dawnpaw began awkwardly. "You can go first…"

"Sure." Nightpaw sniffed the air and left. A few moments later he returned with a vole in his mouth. He set it on the ground and covered it with dirt. "Your turn."

Dawnpaw sighed, "You can go again. I'll sit here and guard your catch."

"Nobody's going to take it," Nightpaw mewed. "You can go hunting."

Dawnpaw shook her head. "No really. It's okay."

Nightpaw sat down. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

He growled. "Now look me in the eye and say that." Dawnpaw looked away. "See? Something _is_ wrong," Nightpaw growled. "What is it? Is it that dream you had?"

Dawnpaw looked at him. "Yes. But it was just a dream."

"Well, I'm no medicine cat or anything," Nightpaw meowed. "But it could be a message from StarClan."

"StarClan?" Dawnpaw stared at him. "You mean it was like a warning or something?"

Nightpaw shrugged. "It could have been."

Dawnpaw stared at him in awe. "You know what?" she mewed. "I-I don't really feel that good right now. Can…can we go back to camp?"

Nightpaw bent down to pick up the vole he caught. "Sure."

As they walked back to camp together, Dawnpaw turned to face Nightpaw. "Nightpaw…" she began.

"What?"

"Thanks."

Rushed. Crappy. I know. But still, please review! And no bad reviews please! I'll try making the next one better.


End file.
